Product Marketing Blogs

Friday, December 02, 2005

Suggestion for the new Stormhoek Label and bottle design

Let's Get Started

The Stormhoek Label must initiate 3 Important Conversations

1. The Viral Freshness Matters Story

2&3.WineBars and Everyone's Conversation:

Stormhoek must be more than the wine.

2.'''Winebar Conversation''': It must be medium for Bar Owners to communicate to their customers. Bars already stocking Stormhoek can get a free mention in the label and canpromote their offering later for a small price.

3.'''Everyone's Conversation''': Everyone must be able to connect to the Stormhoek label to place their own crazy and personal messages.

Stormhoek New Bottle Design

How about releasing a "Stormhoek Mobile Edition". If "Freshness matters" it shouldn't designed to stay on the shelf, right?. You need to have an iPod-smooth bottle at size to target pockets and backpacks(bags) that people will carry around.

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Google for databases

The search for information has extended from html file to pdfs, word docs, ppt, and even books( with the copyright controversy). Searching databases can provide great value to end users. The complexity of SQLs implement by different vendors is a huge road block. In the current scenario database searches are not actually doing their job right, as they search only the text version of it.Oracle Text Search and SQL Server's Text search will only provide you with text matching results. Say if you wanted to find information about your co-worker JOHN from the database. With a text search you can get information about where the keyword JOHN is available in the databases.

In a normalized database, data is scattered across tables. To collate this data into meaningful information, you need to talk to the database with SQL. Incase of your text search for the keyword will most probably return a result with that has the keyword john in table emp_t(example). You will not be able to get more information about JOHN. A true database search should understand table relations and get you all the related information about John, the complete record with his name, number, address and all that john is related to...

Friday, September 09, 2005

BIZ 2.0 is COOL and FREE

The business model of today is changing. Just observing the change around. The big companies pouring in huge marketing money creating brand value seems to making very less out it.

Old Model---------

- Bloatware in a box full of CDs shipped from the vendor- Installation and setup takes a month- even with onsite installation staff- Website has all the bullshit except the product and reality- To get a view of the product, you have to show the budget- Evaluation version with a time bomb- Users buy the product and do not come back except for support and issues

Are we kinda seeing the end of it. Look at the new evolving business model.

Evolving New Business Model----------------------------

The new model seems to have a syntax

Free Product/ Service along with a professional Service. It kinda seems like a proven success.

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Katrina Relief Donations : Making It Right

It is devastating to see damages of Katrina. It reminds me of the Tsunami that hit us here in India and shattered lives, people are still coping with the damage. We learnt a couple of things, reacting to it. When you are contributing to the Katrina Relief, it is very important how we respond sensibly than emotionally.

Donations: Make donation in CASH unless these Relief organization request for materials.

Just by gut feel a few groups might collect blankets, clothes, and packed food items for the relief victims. It is very hard to transport, preserve, and distribute. Unless you are really close to the place and part of the distribution / relief team.

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Dress Code for Effectiveness

I was thinking about Dress Code and Uniforms after reading Seth Godin's Blog on uniforms. Dress Code, is it really required for a work place. Does it really influence the way you work or think. Does it really improve your productivity. Oh.. I got this great idea because I was wearing this blue tie and chinese cotton shirt. I am not sure....

Maybe I am wrong, maybe it does make an impact when you visit clients or more in the services industry. Working for a product development company most of the time we spend in our office. The climate is full of friends and casual environment, I feel that I am more productive when I dressed comfortable in my jeans and t-shirts.

We develop database migration and search products, searching for information on that I accidentally hit upon Burleson Consulting. They are one of top consultants for Oracle. I guess they are really specific about their dress code. Check out their section about Dress Code for Men and Women.

Let me throw a couple of lines that will force you go there and read their complete stuff.

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Growing intolerance

Earlier

It was ok for us to wait for web pages to loadIt was normal to have heavy webpages with images and asking the user to waitIt was considered cool to play a flash intro before actually starting on the webpage contentsIt was understandable that after you purchase a software you allow two weeks for the product to be shipped.It was normal for Applications to say.. not available due to maintainence....

Now these things are stone age. Still a lot of companies only ship software in boxes.... I can safely say that most smart applications are easily downloable. It is the bloatware that comes in a carton boxes and take weeks to be shipped.

Now you are doomed if you say you are closed for maintainence, or imagine what will happen if google.com or yahoo.com was closed for maintainence for just a day.

Still a few people get away with "Not available under maintainence" card.

Check out HDFC Bank's message

Round the Clock ---and also showing services cannot be accessed.

If that seems bad check this out... 24 hrs to register.....

Isn't that just too much. "Wait for 24 hrs" is too costly a word to be used today.